Danger in the Dark
by Archangel Samuel
Summary: Our adventurers are well on their way to rescuing Lucia from the Blue Star, but a sudden battle leaves Leo badly injured. Meanwhile, Jean begins to realize her feelings for their White Knight. JeanXLeo
1. Chapter 1

Posted back up, with a second chapter! Yay!

...

Hiro had been sure this dungeon would lead them back to the Blue Star. They had been lost for several hours, but none of his friends were about to complain. It was thanks to him that their world was saved, and, besides, they also missed their dear friend Lucia. They were all one in their goal: to rescue the Princess of the Blue Star from her lonely fate. They would not stop until they found a path to the Blue Star.

But they were weary from travel and battle, and Ronfar and Lemina's magic power had run dry, leaving them weakened. They decided to rest for a little while, taking the watch in shifts.

Leo watched with a smile on his face as Jean nodded off several times, jerking awake each time her head drooped down too far. He went to sit next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You go to sleep, Jean. I'll take the watch. I'm used to night shifts."

"I thought I was too," Jean said, smiling back. "I guess I'm more exhausted than I thought…"

"You have fought well, and always do more than your share. Rest now," Leo said. Jean nodded and closed her eyes. She was asleep within seconds.

Leo sighed as he watched her sleep. She was beautiful, from her dark skin to her emerald hair. Her dancer's body was lithe, but strong and muscular. She was a karate master, after all. But more than that, she was kind, caring, and possessed a strong sense of justice.

Leo chuckled bitterly to himself. What did he know of justice? He was the fool who had hindered Hiro's journey from the start in the name of "justice."

"Forgive me," he found himself whispering. "I was one of those who persecuted you for celebrating in the name of the goddess."

But things would be different now. He hoped that this journey would be the next step in regaining his lost honor. He looked again at Jean's sleeping form. If she knew…

He shook his head. He did not deserve her respect, much less her love. Someday, maybe. But that day was far off.

Leo looked out into the darkness, lit only by the torches Ruby had set fire to along the corridors. Strange shadows moved along the walls. He blinked several times, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. The shadows only got bigger and clearer, accompanied by animalistic grunting: more monsters.

Leo unsheathed his sword.

"Hiro! We're not alone!" he shouted. Hiro was first to his feet, but everyone stirred quickly. Their bodies had been trained through experience to awaken and fight at any moment.

The monsters finally showed themselves, but they were not what anyone had expected. Three tall guardians appeared in full armor, carrying broadswords and thick shields.

Hiro and Leo were the first to lunge forward with their swords, but they could not even leave a dent.

"No good!" said Leo. "The armor is too thick!"

Hiro charged his sword with a magic spell and took three strikes at one of them, shattering the armor and slicing through flesh. The guardian fell. One enemy was down, but Hiro needed a moment to recover; that spell combination was incredibly draining.

Ruby bravely dove forward and distracted one of the two remaining guardians by clawing at its helmet while Ronfar tried to break its armor with his mace.

The last guardian set its sights on the women of the group. Lemina was out of magic, and cowered helplessly as Jean stood in front of her in a protective stance, an iron fan in each hand.

Leo saw the guardian raise its sword and panic struck through his mind. Jean's karate outfit could easily be sliced through. It would kill her with one strike.

With a cry, he charged toward the guardian, attempting to deflect its attack with his own sword. But the guardian was stronger. Leo could not even slow its strike; he only succeeded in slightly altering its path. The guardian's sword sliced deeply into Leo's left side, just below the ribs, and hurled him several yards away.

"Leo!" both women screamed.

Hiro and Ronfar looked over in panic to see their friend lying on the ground beyond both guardians. They tried to run to him, but the guardians stood in the way.

"Leo!" Ronfar called, hoping his best friend would at least respond to his voice. Leo stirred and struggled to sit up, clasping both hands over his side. Ronfar felt encouraged; at least Leo had enough sense in him to cover his wound.

"Ruby, we could really use some dragon power about now!" Hiro shouted as the rest of the group quickly ran to join him at his side.

"Are you sure? These dragon attacks are kind of in short supply!" Ruby said, still distracted with the guardian she was scratching at.

"Yes, I'm sure! Just do it!" Hiro yelled back, desperately.

When Ruby looked up and saw Leo bleeding on the ground, she felt the Red Dragon Anger flow though her. She transformed just long enough to send a hail of burning fire upon the guardians, who were reduced to ashes in a matter of moments. She regained her cat form and landed on Hiro's shoulder, weary but relieved. She had helped defend her friends.

The group was momentarily frozen in awe at the Red Dragon's incredible strength. They often forgot what an ancient and terrible power their little friend held.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry and help him!" Ruby screeched, bringing her friends back to their senses.

Hiro was the first to reach Leo's side, and he knelt down to check the damage as the rest of his friends caught up.

"It's all right, Leo," Hiro said, trying to keep his tone light. "It's just a little scratch."

Leo did not respond. His eyes were shut in a pained grimace and his hands were clamped tightly over his side. It wasn't doing much; blood still flowed freely around his hands and between his fingers.

"Show me your wound," Ronfar said, also kneeling beside their friend. He was not his usual joking self; he took his job as healer very seriously.

"It's deep," Leo said, slowly peeling his bloody hands from his side. There was too much blood for Ronfar to properly assess the injury, and it continued to flow unchecked.

"All right, we'll worry about cleaning it later. Right now we need to stop the bleeding," Ronfar said, very calmly. "Hiro, There's a clean blanket in my pack. Would you get it for me?" Hiro nodded and rushed to retrieve the item.

"I need you to lie down now," Ronfar said. He turned to Jean and Lemina, who were both anxiously watching. "If one of you could hold his head..."

"I will," Jean volunteered, sitting down on her knees beside him. Ronfar gently lowered Leo to the ground and placed his head in Jean's lap.

Hiro returned with the thin blanket and offered it to Ronfar, who quickly placed it over the wound and pressed down, eliciting a pained moan from his friend.

Ronfar winced in sympathy, but kept pressure on the wound until the bleeding began to slow. He muttered a healing litany twice, but he was too low on magic for it to do anything helpful.

"Damn it," Ronfar said, frustrated. He turned to the others. "We're going to need some water. Did anyone see a spring or pond on the way here?"

"I heard water dripping in the tunnel just a little ways back!" Ruby squeaked. She flew off of Hiro's shoulder and into the darkness of the cave. "I'll check it out!" she yelled behind her. Hiro rolled his eyes. He couldn't let her go by herself. He ran to catch up.

"How are you holding up, Leo?" Ronfar asked. His friend had said very little during this whole ordeal.

Leo shifted uncomfortably. "I'm fine. As soon as I get this wound wrapped, we'll be able to move on." He closed his eyes, and Ronfar could see the pain in his face.

"I'm not so sure about that," Ronfar said, gently. "Like you said before, this wound is deep, and pretty wide as well."

Leo was silent for several moments. Then his eyes suddenly flew open. "Are the girls all right? The guardian that was attacking Jean-"

"We're fine, Leo," Jean said, smiling down at him. "You fought bravely."

Leo looked up, realizing that he had been in Jean's lap the whole time. Lemina was also there smiling too, but her eyes were full of tears about to spill over.

"You protected us, Leo. Thank you," the wizard said as she turned away to wipe her eyes.

It was several tense minutes before Hiro and Ruby finally returned.

"We found it; there's a small stream about a half mile in that direction," Ruby said, obviously proud of herself.

"We also found a map," Hiro said, smiling with relief. "We're closer to the end than we thought."

"Good," Ronfar said. Wasting no time, he put his arms under Leo and lifted him like a baby.

"I don't need you to carry me..." Leo whispered, weakly. Ronfar looked down, worried. Was he delirious, or just being his usual, stubborn self?

"Let's go," Ronfar said.

It was slow going; Leo was not a small man, and Ronfar was being extra careful not to jar the injury in any way. He passed Leo to Hiro about halfway through, and everyone was relieved when they arrived at the small stream.

With trembling arms, Hiro slowly and carefully lowered Leo to the ground beside the stream.

Jean sat quickly by his side, again holding his head in her lap. It was the only thing she could do to help, and she was desperate to do something. Leo had gotten that wound defending her from the guardian, and the guilt and worry were beginning to eat at her.

The beastman appeared unconscious by this point and did not move while Ronfar untied his cape and sliced his shirt off with a small knife.

Jean was surprised at Leo's shirtless chest. She had expected him to be covered in thick fur, but he only had a light coat over his well-muscled chest and stomach, with barely any fur extending to his sides. Jean blushed, realizing she was staring.

Ronfar dipped a small piece of cloth into the cold stream and tried to warm it with his hands for a moment before applying it to the wound. Leo's eyes shot open and he squirmed in pain.

"You need to lie still," Ronfar said, putting a hand on Leo's bare shoulder. "Lemina, could you help hold him?"

The wizard nodded and put her hands on Leo's shoulders. "Stay calm, Leo. You'll be all right," she said. Leo stopped moving, but remained tense with pain.

Everyone watched helplessly as Ronfar washed the wound. He was disheartened to discover that it was even bigger than he had suspected, and still bleeding.

Jean tenderly pushed Leo's hair out of his face and noticed how pale he had gotten.

"Ronfar?" she began.

"What is it?" Ronfar asked, distracted with his task of cleaning the injury.

"He's gone pale," Jean said, worriedly.

"That's…to be expected," Ronfar responded. "I'll need to stitch the wound. Are you still with us, Leo?"

Leo's eyes fluttered open and he gave a short nod.

"I'm going to sew your wound now. It might take several minutes..."

"Don't mess me up," Leo whispered with a weak smile.

He winced as the needle met flesh, and his hands clenched into fists. Jean tentatively reached out and took his right hand into hers. Leo gratefully accepted her grip and held on tightly. His hand was slippery, and she looked down to see that it was still covered in his blood.

Hiro kept a protective eye out as Ronfar worked. His group of friends was now extremely vulnerable: tired, low on magic, and one of them badly injured. He didn't want to think of what could happen if they were taken by surprise again.

"Lemina, would you bring me some herbs and bandages from my pack?" Ronfar asked, finishing the last couple of stitches. Lemina ran to complete the task.

Ronfar filled a water skin and held it to Leo's lips. Leo drank a few mouthfuls, then turned away, coughing weakly.

"There are only two herbs left," Lemina said when she got back.

"That's alright, it's better than nothing," Ronfar said, applying the herbs to the wound. "There, my friend. That will help ease some of the pain," he murmured. He sat Leo up and tightly wrapped the wound with the bandages Lemina had brought, and then laid him back down.

"He's out cold," Ronfar commented, taking a moment to wash the blood off of Leo's hands. "About time. I don't remember the last time he slept." He covered Leo with the last remaining blanket from his pack.

"You should all get some sleep," Hiro spoke up. "I'll keep watch."

No one argued with their leader. Everyone was beyond fatigued and ready for a rest. But sleep evaded all but their injured companion. They were all more worried than they were willing to admit, and with good reason. It was no simple wound that Leo bore.

Several hours passed, and, thank the goddess, no more monsters appeared. Then, Leo suddenly began to stir.

He tossed about in his sleep, as if plagued by a vivid nightmare. Jean placed a gentle hand on his chest and he awoke quickly. He tried to sit up in his confusion, and Jean had to hold him down to keep him from aggravating his injury.

"The guardians...they're here...Jean!" he gasped out.

"I'm right here, Leo," she said. "There are no more guardians, you were just dreaming."

"Jean..." he repeated. He had stopped struggling, but now he was trembling. The rest of the group started to gather around them, each hoping to be of at least some help.

Jean placed a hand on Leo's pale, sweat-covered forehead.

"Ronfar, he's burning up!" she cried, turning to the healer for help.

Ronfar lifted the blanket and unwrapped the injury. Leo began to shiver violently. His entire side was inflamed.

"Damn it!" Ronfar muttered. How had infection set in so fast? He got another piece of cloth and dipped it in the water. Leo cried out when it was placed on his wound.

"I'm sorry, Leo. You need to bear with me." Ronfar gritted his teeth and continued the difficult task of cleaning the injury again, trying to ignore Leo's soft moans of pain. He dried the wound and applied more clean bandages. He offered the waterskin again, and Leo took a few more small sips.

"Hiro," Leo said, hoarsely.

Hiro knelt next to Leo. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Help me stand up."

"I don't think that's such a good idea..." Hiro said, surprised by the order.

Leo gripped Hiro's arm with a fur-covered hand, far tighter than Hiro would have expected him capable of in this state.

"Please, Hiro. It is time we moved on from here."

Hiro could feel Leo trembling through his grip.

"You're not well, Leo. You're not going anywhere until you start to heal," Hiro said, firmly.

"Then you should go on without me. You're just wasting your time here." Leo said. His hand dropped from Hiro's arm, and he looked smaller and more vulnerable than Hiro had ever seen him.

Hiro was about to respond, but Leo appeared to have lost consciousness.

"Just rest, Leo," he murmured.

There was a long silence, finally broken by Ruby's high voice.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked.

No one ventured to answer right away.

"Ronfar, how long till he can move?" Lemina asked.

"Not anytime soon." said Ronfar. "The wound is very deep, and instead of healing, it's gotten progressively worse."

"So what does that mean for him?" Jean asked, revealing more panic in her voice than she had meant to.

Ronfar glanced at his best friend, whose face was contorted with pain and fever.

"It means he's fighting for his life. And right now he's losing."

The true gravity of the situation finally hit them full force. Lemina began to cry, silent tears trailing down her face. Jean also felt tears stinging in her eyes, but she held them back. Crying isn't going to help Leo, she told herself.

"So what do we do? What _can_ we do?" asked Hiro.

"The infection has made him very sick. He needs medicine and rest, which he won't find here." Ronfar wanted to kick himself for not being more prepared. He should have bought more medicine and supplies in that last town. "As to what we should do, that's your call, Hiro."

"What if we split up?" Lemina began. "Hiro and Jean are good to fight; they could go on ahead and get Lucia. I'm sure she'd be able to do something for Leo, or at least help us get out of here."

"That would leave you and Ronfar alone with Leo, and neither of you are in any condition to fight if something were to happen," Jean pointed out.

"Jean's right," said Hiro. "We should stay as a group."

"But then what?" said Lemina. "Leo's only going to get worse without treatment, and, no offense guys, but carrying him even a half mile was a struggle."

"It's all right." Leo's weak voice was suddenly heard. "Just go. Lucia is waiting for you."

"Leo, we didn't know you were awake," Jean said, gently. She reached for his hand again, but he pulled away.

"I don't deserve your sympathy. I have done nothing but hinder your journey since the beginning," Leo said. His eyes were glassy.

"You were just doing what you thought was right, like any of us would," Hiro said. "You have been an invaluable member of this group since you joined. And aside from all that, you're our friend. We're not leaving you."

The rest of the group members nodded.

"Looks like you're stuck with us, my friend," Ronfar said, giving his shoulder a gentle pat.

Leo shut his eyes and tears spilled from the corners. So it was true, then. The only person who hadn't forgiven him was himself. He did not pull away when Jean took his hand in both of hers.


	2. Chapter 2

__Chapter 2!

_..._

_Leo shut his eyes and tears spilled from the corners. So it was true, then. The only person who hadn't forgiven him was himself. He did not pull away when Jean took his hand in both of hers._

"That's all well and good, but we still have to figure out what we're going to do," Lemina said.

"What if I carry him with us?" Ruby squeaked.

They all turned toward where her voice had come from. She had settled next to Leo's right shoulder, offering the warmth of her tiny form.

"I'm not really used to transforming for long periods of time, but I could try," Ruby continued.

"That might actually work," said Hiro. "Unless it would be too hard for you to hold the form."

"No, I can do it!" Ruby said, eager to help. "I just won't be as much help fighting, especially after that last attack."

"What do you guys think?" Hiro asked, turning to the rest of the group.

"It won't do much for Leo, but at least this way we'll stay together," said Ronfar. Everyone else nodded.

"All right, then," Ruby said. She backed up to give herself space, then transformed. Her full dragon form nearly filled the narrow cavern.

"Someone's going to have to hold onto him," Hiro said. No one was surprised when Jean quickly offered to do it. She seemed reluctant to let go of Leo even for a moment.

Ruby knelt on her front legs and lowered her head, allowing Jean to climb on and sit in the groove in front of Ruby's wings. Ronfar and Hiro carefully lifted Leo and placed him in front of Jean, who held him in a gentle embrace.

"Shall we continue on then?" Ruby said as she stood up to her full height. Her voice was no longer high and shrill but a dark, feminine alto.

The group pressed on, led by Hiro's map, which basically followed the stream most of the way. The cave was surprisingly quiet, and they met no enemies.

The stream ended in a waterfall over a black pit, right next to a tunnel. Hiro looked at his map.

"We're close," he said. "That tunnel will take us to the transport."

They stopped for a quick rest, and to take advantage of the stream one last time.

Ruby knelt down, allowing Jean to get off and for Hiro and Ronfar to help Leo down.

"We're almost there, my friend," Ronfar said.

Just when they thought they were safe to take a break, a roar suddenly echoed through the cave, startling the group of adventurers.

"Monsters!" Hiro shouted. He and Ronfar took position on either side of the women and Leo.

A single guardian came growling out of the shadows. But this one was different from the others. It was at least twice as big as the previous enemies had been. Hiro's head just barely came to its waist.

Ruby lunged forward, snarling.

"No, Ruby, get back!" Hiro yelled. "Protect the others!"

Ruby obeyed, slowly backing away from the guardian. Now was a time to defend, not attack.

Jean kept a firm hold on Leo as Ruby protectively raised her wings in front of them.

The Guardian raised its seven-foot sword and swung downward at Hiro. Its bulk made it slow, and Hiro was easily able to dodge. The sword slammed into the ground, and the whole cave shook. Several small rocks fell from the ceiling.

Hiro started charging his sword with another magic spell. Ronfar stood in front of Lemina, mace out and ready.

The Guardian swung its sword again, this time striking the wall and causing several even larger rocks to fall around them.

"It's going to take down the whole cave at this rate!" Ronfar yelled.

Hiro made three rapid strikes at the guardian. Its armor shattered, blood splattering everywhere. It fell backwards, hitting the ground with a resounding _thud_.

And then the cave collapsed.

Jean awoke coughing, dust coating her throat. All she remembered of the cave in was her friends screaming and all light going out.

"Ruby? Leo?" she called.

"Right here," Ruby chirped, landing onto Jean's shoulder, back in her baby dragon form. "Thank the goddess! I was afraid you were dead!"

"Hold on a second, I'll get something for you to light, Jean said. She walked blindly with her hands in front of her, stumbling over rocks and rubble, until she found a wall. She walked along it looking for a torch, and was relieved to find one rather quickly.

"Hurry, Ruby, light this," she said.

Ruby held a steady flame long enough for Jean to get the torch burning brightly. She held it up to the darkness and quickly found Leo, half buried in dirt and stones.

Jean and Ruby went quickly to work digging him out.

"J-Jean, what h-happened?" Leo asked as they quickly pulled several large rocks off of him.

"Just a small cave in, nothing to worry about," said Jean. "You're almost out."

"P-please h-hurry... This hurts..." Leo's teeth were chattering.

"Can anyone hear me?!" Hiro's voice came from the darkness.

"Yes, I'm here with Ruby and Leo," Jean called back. "Are the others with you?"

"Yes, Ronfar, Lemina, and I are all fine, but we have a big problem. The cave in caused a barrier. We've checked in both directions, but there's no way back to the side you're on. Are you all okay?"

"We're all right, we just have to-" Jean froze as she pushed the last of the large stones off Leo's body. The light bandage over his wound was soaked through with blood.

"Oh, goddess," Jean whispered, feeling nauseous. She heard Ruby gasp in shock.

"Jean? Is everyone all right?" Hiro called again.

"No," Jean managed to respond, "No, Leo's bleeding. It's bad, Hiro!"

"Stay calm." Ronfar's voice came from the darkness. "Check the wound. Are you sure the blood is fresh?"

With shaking hands, Jean carefully pulled off the soaked bandage.

Panic gripped her stomach. Leo was going to bleed out in a matter of minutes. His eyes were already glazing over from the shock.

"The stitching is all torn out. It must have happened in the collapse," Jean said. "Ronfar, he's fading! I don't know what to do!"

There was a short pause.  
Then, "Listen very carefully; he doesn't have much time. Ruby is going to have to cauterize the wound," Ronfar said.

"It could kill him!" Jean objected.

"Maybe, but if you don't, he'll certainly bleed to death. We need him hold on at least until we get Lucia back. I'm sure she'll be able to heal him." Ronfar tried to sound confident, but his fear for his friend's life made its way into his voice.

"I don't think I can," Ruby said, tears in her eyes.

"Please, Ruby." It was Hiro now that pleaded with his childhood friend. "He'll die if you don't."

"What if I mess up?"

"You won't," Ronfar assured her. "Now, use your flame breath. It won't take much."

"Okay, I'll try," Ruby said.

Jean held Leo steady in her arms, his bleeding side exposed to Ruby.

"All right, Ruby. Be quick," Jean said. Ruby nodded, determined.

The Red Dragon took a deep breath.

Leo's agonized scream rang in his friends' ears long after it was reduced to short gasps of pain.

"Oh, goddess, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry," Ruby said as tears poured from her eyes.

"No, you did great, Ruby," Jean said, though she was close to tears herself. She could feel Leo trembling in her embrace, and he continued to gasp, eyes wild and unfocused.

"Is he all right?" Ronfar called from the darkness.

"He's alive, and he's not bleeding anymore. Other than that..." Jean trailed off.

"Hiro, Lemina, and I are going to press ahead. We'll be back as soon as we can, with help." Ronfar said. "Jean, Ruby... Take care of him for me."

"We will," Jean said, resolutely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! **

The cavern was suddenly very quiet but for Leo's soft gasping.

Jean looked down at him.

"_He's in shock,_" she thought. She had to keep him awake.

"Stay with me, Leo," she said.

"I'm trying," he whispered back.

It made her feel a little better. At least he wasn't completely delirious. She turned to the dragon.

"Ruby, will you bring me that waterskin?" Jean said, pointing to the dusty item. With Leo still in her lap, she didn't think moving would be a good idea just yet.

Ruby grabbed the leather pouch with her teeth and flew it over to Jean, who tore the lid off and slowly poured the water over Leo's side.

He hissed slightly as the water flowed over his charred wound, but otherwise made no sound. That last scream seemed to have worn him out.

Jean considered covering the wound with something, but everything was tainted with dust from the collapse, and nothing she had seemed thin enough to properly cover a burn anyway. She felt tears stinging at her eyes again. She had never felt so useless before.

_"A burn should be kept clean and dry,"_ she reminded herself. What did she have that was clean and dry?

Then she remembered, stuffed in a wad at the bottom of her pack: her old dance outfit. The fabric was thin and cool, and it had folded up small enough for her to bring it along on her travels. Surely it was still clean.

"Ruby, have you seen my pack anywhere?" she asked.

"No, but I can look," Ruby said, getting to work digging around the area.

Jean turned her attention back to Leo, who seemed to be struggling to speak.

"Jean...I don't feel well," he managed, in what was probably the greatest understatement of the journey.

"I know, Leo, we're trying to help-" She was interrupted when Leo suddenly began coughing uncontrollably. His whole body convulsed and Jean was afraid he was going to vomit. She helped turn him onto his uninjured side as the coughs continued to tear at his weakened form. After a minute or so, the attack finally began to subside.

"W-Water," Leo croaked. Jean offered him the last few sips left in the waterskin.

"He must've gotten a lot of dust in his throat," Jean realized as Leo gratefully drank. He had been buried in the collapse, after all.

"Jean, I found it," Ruby said, hastily carrying a small bag over to Jean's side.

"Oh, thank the goddess!" Jean cried. She reached deep into the bag and pulled out the cream-colored skirt with blue and red trim. "This will work well."

Jean couldn't help but feel a small twinge of remorse as she tore the skirt to pieces. She had really loved that outfit Giban had gotten for her.

She dried the wound with one piece of the skirt, then wrapped another piece carefully around Leo's waist.

When all that was finished, she carefully laid Leo down, using her bag as a makeshift pillow. She stood up and stretched, stifling a groan. The stress of the situation was giving her a pretty bad headache. She sat down beside Leo and willed herself to rest.

"I always expected that I would die in battle, defending the goddess," Leo suddenly said, bitterly.

"Don't talk like that," Jean said, leaning over him.

"Forgive me," Leo whispered. "I just don't see myself getting out of this one alive." He was shivering again, and his eyes were glassy with fever. "I wish I h-hadn't been lost for so long."

"Lost though you were, your time was not completely wasted," Jean said. "You were a beacon for thousands to look up to, a symbol of true devotion to the greater good."

"Do you really believe so?"

"I really do," Jean said with a smile. As she looked down at his pale face, a splatter of blood landed his forehead. She stared a moment in confusion.

"Jean, you're hurt!" Leo said, reaching up. His hand missed her face by a long shot.

Jean brought her own hand to her right temple. It came away bloody.

"Oh," was all she could think to say. That's where the headache came from. And why she had been unconscious for several minutes after the collapse.

"It l-looks serious," Leo said. He coughed several times again.

Ruby flew quickly over.

"He's right," she squeaked, examining Jean's head.

"It probably just looks bad. Head wounds bleed a lot," Jean tore a large strip from the skirt and tied the makeshift bandage around her head. "There, good as new."

There was silence for a while, and a soft snore told Jean that Ruby was asleep beside them.

Jean began to gently comb through Leo's hair with her fingers, speaking softly.

"When we docked for the first time in Meribia there was a small group of children playing by the storage houses," she said.

"They were playing the oldest make-believe game in written history: the Four Heroes. They say even a thousand years ago children were pretending to be Dyne and Hell Mel when they played on the streets."

"I always wanted to be Alex," Leo whispered.

The comment surprised Jean at first, but then, it did make sense. He had grown up a warrior. Alex had probably been a personal hero to many of the knights.

"Well, none of the children we saw wanted to play Alex," Jean continued. "They wanted to be White Knight Leo. They were fighting over who got to be you."

"I feel sorry for the...poor chubby kid who had to be Borgan,"

Jean chuckled. "I didn't think you had it in you, Leo!"

"Had what?"

"A sense of humor."

Leo smiled weakly. "I was always the serious one. Ronfar was the funny one...But in all seriousness... thank you, Jean,"

He reached up toward her face, and she took his hand, holding it against her cheek. She leaned over him, overwhelmed with the urge to kiss his lips. Their faces were mere inches apart when Leo suddenly winced in pain.

"Leo?" Jean ventured, a worried frown on her face.

He didn't respond, just gasped weakly, hands clutching at his side.

Jean winced sympathetically. She remembered burning herself pulling a stick out of a bonfire her first year with the caravan. Her hand had stung terribly for several days. She could only imagine how much pain Leo was in.

"It's all right, Leo. They'll be back for us. It'll all be over soon," she said, gently.

"You'll t-tell Lucia I'm sorry, r-right?" His breathing was becoming shallower and more pained.

"You'll tell her yourself when she gets here. She'll be able to heal you right up."

"She w-won't be able to h-heal a corpse."

"Leo-" Jean began, but he interrupted her.

"I'm so cold... Will you hold me?"

"All right," Jean said. She half carried-half dragged Leo's dead weight a few feet over so she lean herself against a wall. She held her wounded friend in her arms with his head resting on her chest, just below her chin.

"You'll be all right," she whispered.

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Samuel**


End file.
